Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol 1 19
. As a result of Jason's retribution, the plane goes down. Arsenal and Starfire find the wreckage, but there is no sign of Jason, prompting them to wonder what exactly he's doing there, and why he has gone on without them. Turning to the townspeople, they are asked whether they are American super-heroes. Roy admits with some pomp that they are, but when he asks them if they know anything about the All-Caste, the people turn away, and pretend that they do not speak English. An elderly woman stays behind to warn that these people have been guarding the All-Caste for generations, and will not help. She warns that the All-Casts' domain has its entrance in an entirely different plane of reality. It would be the work of a fool to seek it without the All-Caste's training. Even so, Starfire is determined to find Jason, and thanks the woman for her advice anyway. After they have gone, the old woman transforms into Essence, who vows that she is not done trying to deter them from seeking Jason. Within eight hours, Roy is worried he is going to freeze to death as he trudges through the snow-capped mountains. Some time ago, he had been told by Jason that part of the All-Caste's meditation methods involved acceptance and communion with darkness. Roy has decided that this is what he must do if he wants to find the entrance to the All-Caste's domain. Starfire, meanwhile, has no awareness of the cold, and has been scouting the area ahead. Even so, she can see that Roy is in bad shape, and unprepared for the weather. She tries to persuade him to turn back, with the knowledge that Jason did not want to be followed. Roy, though, is worried that if they let Jason go, he will never come back. While Jason may think of Roy and Kori as memories of a dark period in his life, Roy has felt like their time together was the most worthwhile time of his life. Sadly, Starfire embraces him, and he presses into her for warmth. That night, Essence finds Roy and Kori sleeping in a cave, and is surprised when a vision of Ducra appears before her. The former leader of the All-Caste explains that while Roy's understanding of the All-Caste's teachings are rudimentary, his will and love for Jason will be enough to see him through. Essence, though, is determined to prevent the pair from finding Jason, and decides to enter Roy's dreams as a deterrent. In the dream, figures of authority from Roy's life warn him that his attempts to find Jason are pathetic. However, Roy rises up, choosing to believe that this is just his chance to commune with the darkness. He turns to his former mentors and explains that while he is sorry he failed them, this is his chance to avoid failing his best friend. He is determined that nothing will stop him from finding Jason. With that, Essence is forced out of Roy's dreams, and defeated. Roy wakes suddenly and explains to Kori that he now knows where the entrance is. He has her fly him into what appears to be a sheer rock-face, but proves to be an illusory wall. Once through, they find themselves in the mythical Acres of All. Unfortunately, those acres seem to be populated by ravenous monsters, and they are forced into fighting. While initially, things look bad for them, they are saved at the last by Jason himself. However, their best friend seems not to remember who they are. Confused, they demand to know who erased his memory. They are answered by S'aru, who explains that Jason did it to himself. He had come to the Acres of All seeking to have S'aru remove every memory in his mind which the darkness of the Joker's taint touched. Unfortunately, that was nearly everything. | Appearing1 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * Villains: * Other Characters: * * * * Green Arrow * Killer Croc * Hugo Strange Locations: * ** Items: * Vehicles: * | Notes = | Trivia = This issue features some rare depictions of Starfire with irises and pupils, as opposed to her usual, solid green eyes. However, it appears that when her powers are in use, Starfire's eyes will glow and revert to their usual, iris-less selves. Whether this is simply anomalous artistic licence or canon is unclear. | Recommended = | Links = }}